Arne Slot makes ‘unfair’ complaint and admits Liverpool miss Luis Diaz | Football | Sport

Arne Slot thinks it is unfair to judge Liverpool’s reshaped attack, particularly given the lengthy injury absence of British record signing Alexander Isak. Despite a recent scoring spree of 21 goals in their last seven matches across all competitions, Liverpool have struggled to replicate their prolific form from last season’s Premier League campaign, where they topped the scoring charts on their way to the title.

This season, their goal tally stands at 40 from 25 top-flight matches, a significant drop from the same stage last year and with five other clubs outscoring them this term. While Hugo Ekitike, a £79million acquisition, has impressed with 15 goals in 33 appearances, Isak has been restricted to just three goals in 16 outings due to ongoing fitness issues, including a broken leg sustained at Tottenham before Christmas.

Mohamed Salah’s productivity has also dipped alarmingly, with only six goals this season, just one of which has come since November. Cody Gakpo, meanwhile, has found it difficult to consistently influence games from the left wing.

Gakpo’s inconsistent form has led some to question the wisdom of selling Luis Diaz to Bayern Munich for £65.5m last summer. The Colombian winger has thrived in Germany, contributing 18 goals and 14 assists in 30 matches, after providing 25 goal contributions for Liverpool last season.

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

When asked if Liverpool were missing Diaz, Slot responded: “You always miss good football players. He was so important for us last season, but he wasn’t the only one.

“There were more players that were influential in our results. But I think we have replaced them with very good players as well.

“It is maybe more fair to say that if Alex had been fit, would we have spoken about it then as well?”

Slot further commented: “Luis Diaz is another example of how this club is run. If this club gets for a 28-year-old an offer like that then this club, because it is built on sustainability, chooses to sell a player and we are an exception in the Premier League, especially at the top of the Premier League, for that.

“But that is why it is also so nice that we are able to achieve the things we have achieved in the last few years with that model.

“But he is doing very well at Bayern and that is not a surprise to me.”